Sunday, December 8, 2019

ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 24-7

TAKE TWO MINUTES TO REQUEST MORE EQUITY
FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

I’m a sucker for filling out online “tell us how we did” surveys.

I’m not talking about nominating myself for dozens of unwanted daily emails, I’m talking about responding only to customer service surveys that more frequently contact you after everything from a gourmet meal to a trip to the dentist to a mom and pop shop that supplied an out of print book via Amazon.

All of these have an additional comments window and this is more important to me than all the “strongly agree…to strongly disagree” comments combined.
My additional feedback, as the spouse of person who uses a wheelchair for mobility, is always disability equity-related.

I tell the firm to:

Recruit and hire people with disabilities

Ensure that all focus groups are convened with people with a wide range of disabilities
If a place had a great lobster roll, but all high top seating – I tell them we will never return till it has accessible tables

If a place has nice, wide aisles, automatic doors and employees that are trained to accommodate without making a big production – I tell that store that I will drive an extra 10 miles to vote with my dollars there

If it is something techie that I bought, I give feedback that states that engineers without a disability CANNOT, no matter how smart they are, anticipate the good, bad and ugly of product design and its impact on people with a wide range of mobility, visual, hearing and cognitive disabilities


Over time, I we can teach companies that everything they do, from R&D to multiplatform marketing – MUST involve people with a wide range of disabilities




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